Monday, February 18, 2008

good and bad all in one weekend

it will be hard to capture this past weekend in a blog post, as we had wonderful highs with longtime friends and received some painful news.

brandon's grandpa passed away over the weekend. papa, as he was known to most, was an incredible man who leaves behind a shining legacy. he will be sorely missed in our family. as the weekend progressed his situation got worse and we learned on sunday that he died during the night. there is much to process right now, but in many ways it will take a lifetime to work through the pain of losing him.

brandon thought of going down for the funeral, which will be a formal military service, honoring papa for his purple heart and service to the country, but flights were going to be over $1000. it is going to be hard not to be there, but we simply can't make that happen. we know papa will understand.

fortunately we were able to be among friends this weekend and introduced sara "mia" to cross-country skiing. she is so brave! i was blown away by how FEW times she fell even though she had not been on skis before.
i get really freaked out going down steep sections, so i have developed the dwarf practice of squatting down when i get afraid. brandon doesn't object, as i bomb down the hill at record speeds when in this pose. i introduced mia to it at one point, but i think her natural ski abilities negated the benefits. oh well, i guess i am the only one destined to ski so close to the ground!
here she is trying out my technique

this may be my most favorite picture of mia ever--it captures her joy
and willingness to try anything. i just can't get enough of this girl!

it was nice to be in seattle while the sun was out for a change--it is truly a beautiful city when the clouds part.

1 comment:

Maryann said...

I'm really sorry for your loss. It was wonderful to see you.